Bracket for wicketed bags



Oct. 14; 1969 G. w. BLAsE 3,472,383

BRACKET FOR WICKETED BAGS Filed Jan. 17. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 660/98 01/, 5/066 ATTORNEY Oct. 14, 1969 e. w. BLASE 3,472,388

BRACKET FOR WICKETED BAGS Filed Jan. 17, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l l l I l I 1 1* 5M 14 J IQTTORNEY United States Patent Oftice 3,472,388 Patented Oct. 14, 1969 3,472,388 BRACKET FOR WICKETED BAGS George W. Blase, Fresno, Calif., assignor to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 698,612 Int. Cl. A47f 7/00, /00

US. Cl. 211-57 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE DESCRIPTION There has been a need for a bracket with considerable flexibility for handling wickets of thermoplastic bags, which bags can be displayed and dispensed one at a time. The prior art has failed to provide a bracket which readily receives various size wickets, is inexpensive, requires no other backing, is relatively easy to assemble and install, and which presents a neat and orderly display. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bracket for holding and dispensing wicketed plastic bags which overcomes all the above enumerated disadvantages of the prior art.

Briefly, the present invention involves a bracket having a back plate adapted to be mounted on a display case having a front panel at an angle to the vertical. Extending outward from the back plate and at an angle thereto, so as to be substantially horizontal, is a wicket receiver.

The wicket receiver basically comprises two steel angle plates placed back to back in spaced relationship and secured to the back plate. Spacers are positioned at each end and in the center between facing surfaces of the aforesaid angle plates to form an elongated slot. The wicket holder usually is a U-shaped wire; the ends of which are adapted to frictionally fit within the slot of the wicket receiver. Because the slot is elongated, wickets of varying size are receivable.

Yet additional objects and advantages of the present invention are even more apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference designate corresponding material and parts throughout the several views thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a bracket, without a wicket installed, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the bracket;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the bracket with a wicket held therein;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan of the bracket and wicket of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along reference line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Bracket includes a back plate 12 and a wicket receiver 14 all of which is preferably made from sheet steel sections spot welded together and finished with a surgical white baked enamel. The back plate 12 is adapted to be secured to the front of a produce display case 16 (see FIGURE 5). Such display cases have a front panel which is generally tapered inwardly from the top to bottom. The back plate can contain a pressure sensitive adhesive 15 for affixing the back plate 12 to the produce display case 16 and/ or can be secured thereto by screws 17 extending through holes 18 in the bracket 10.

A wicket receiver 14 comprises two plates 20 and 22 extending horizontally outwardly from back plate 12. Upper plate 20 is integrally formed at an acute angle A with a back flange 24. When back flange 24 is welded onto back plate 12, plate 20 is disposed into its horizontal position. Likewise lower plate 22 is integrally formed at an obtuse angle B with a back flange 26 so that when it is secured to back plate 12 the lower plate 22 will be disposed into its horizontal position, but spaced from upper plate 20 to define a slot 31 therebetween. The actual inclination of angles A and B will depend on the angular disposition of back plate 12 from the vertical. Angle A in the past has been either at 55 and from the vertical, which fits most commercial display cases on the market today.

Located between the plates 20 and 22 of wicket receiver 14 are a plurality of spacers 28. These are preferably spot welded to each of the plates 20 and 22 and are of a thick ness so that they just snugly fit within the slot 31 formed between the two plates to keep them properly spaced from one another. In the embodiment shown a spacer 28 is located generally at each end and at the middle along slot 31.

The width (height) of slot 31 is determined by the diameter of the wire forming wicket 34, the ends 32 of the wicket being friction fitted within the slot. Usually this is a 0.135 inch diameter wire which fits within a /s inch slot. Wicket 34 shown in FIGURE 3 is of the usual U-shape and is relatively wide spanning substantially the entire length of slot 31. Preferably, the ends 36 and 38 of upper plate 20 and lower plate 22 are beveled upwardly and downwardly, respectively, to permit ease of insertion of the wicket ends.

Because the wicket is received within an elongated slot, the width of the wicket and the bag for dispensing can vary considerably. For example, a bracket which is about eight inches wide can receive wickets ranging from about one to seven inches in width.

In operation, a plurality of bags 30 having apertures 40 extending therethrough are slipped over the ends 32 and against the bight portion 42 of wicket 34. Friction fitting gaskets 46 are then slipped over each end 32 to hold the bags towards the bight portion 42 of the wicket 34. The wicket ends 32 are then inserted into slot 31 and are frictionally held within the wicket receiver 14 for display and dispensing of the bags 30 held by the wicket. As each bag is removed, it is pulled downwardly, the body of the bag above apertures 40 tearing, thereby permitting removal of the bags 30. When all the bags 30 have been removed nothing remains except the empty wicket 34 and gaskets 46.

When a wicket is empty, it is pulled from bracket 10, the gaskets 46 are removed and more bags are slipped onto the wicket. Once this is done, the gaskets 46 are replaced and the wicket is reinserted into the wicket receiver 14.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Accordingly, what is claimed as new is:

1. A bracket for receiving wicketed thermoplastic bags, said bracket comprising a backing plate adapted to fit on an angled front panel of a display case or the like, a wicket holder extending outwardly at a horizontal disposition from said back plate, said wicket holder comprising upper and lower plates spaced from one another to define an elongated slot therebetween, and spacers located at spaced intervals along said slot and secured vertical dimension.

2. The bracket of claim 1 wherein edges of said upper and lower plates remote from said bracket are beveled upwardly and downwardly, respectively, to permit ease of entry of a wicket into said slot.

3. The bracket of claim 1 wherein a U-shaped wire wicket is received in said wicket holder, ends of said wicket being located in said slot and frictionally engaged with said upper and lower plates, the height of said slot being no greater than the diameter of said wicket ends.

4. The bracket of claim 3 wherein the height of said slot is slightly less than the diameter of said wicket ends.

5. The bracket of claim 3 wherein a plurality of bags are located on said wicket, the bags having apertures through which the ends of the wicket have been passed, said bags fitting against the bight portion of the wicket and held thereon by gaskets frictionally engaged over said wicket ends.

6. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said slot is about eight inches long and includes three spacers, two of said spacers located generally at opposite ends and one spacer located generally at the middle of said slot, whereby wickets of varying sizes can be received by said wicket holder.

7. The bracket of claim 1 wherein a pressure sensitive adhesive is located on the rear of said back plate for attaching the latter to said front panel.

8. The bracket of claim 1 wherein apertures extend through said back plates to permit attaching of the latter to said front panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,874,813 8/1932 Saunders 248300 2,504,910 4/1950 Wellington 21l89 2,990,150 6/1961 Weigel et al 248-300 3,361,294 1/1968 Bjerum 248100 JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 248-300, 314 

